Bromelia

Bromelia karatas, a species with heavily reinforced sheets, which is also used as a living fence.

The Bromelia form a plant genus of the subfamily Bromelioideae in the family Bromeliaceae ( Bromeliaceae ). In this genus there are about 50 species.

This genus name is the basis for the name of the whole family, Bromeliaceae. The French botanist Charles Plumier named the genus after the Swedish botanist and physician Olaf Bromel.

Dissemination

The areas range from Mexico to the Caribbean and to Paraguay and Argentina. They form an essential part of the typical undergrowth of deciduous thorn forests in warm, dry regions.

Because of their size is rare to find these types in private collections in areas where they can not be maintained in the open air by the occurrence of frosts. But in some tropical parks and gardens and also in almost all botanical gardens you will find this relatively undemanding plants.

Description

Bromelia species are perennial herbaceous plants. It is mostly xerophytes. Most species grow terrestrially. A few Bromelia species are epiphytes. With its underground runners to form almost impenetrable stands. Your on the edge reinforced very strong, coarse leaves can be up to 2 meters long. Therefore, they are often planted by farmers as living fences.

On the sometimes decorative inflorescences often sit bright colored bracts ( bracts ). The hermaphrodite, threefold flowers wither quickly. Three carpels are fused into one inferior ovary.

The flowers formula is:

The fruits are large berries with round black seeds.